Tourism businesses from across the country gathered in Limerick for Fáilte Ireland’s one day Web-Check Digital Conference.

The conference addressed the issue tourism businesses constantly struggle with – how to get ahead in the online marketplace and offered insights on new online trends.

Attendees heard from online travel agent TripAdvisor , who explored the prominence of customer reviews for tourism businesses and looked at how to effectively address the main issues associated with review platforms. They also heard from Alan Coleman, Wolfgang Digital, who spoke about the latest innovations in digital marketing and Jim Deegan, University of Limerick, who spoke about China’s potential as a new tourism market for Ireland.

Speaking at the conference, Head of Industry Supports for Fáilte Ireland, Tony Lenehen said: “With this conference, we are trying to address some of the burning online issues facing the Irish tourism sector today. For Ireland’s tourism sector to prosper it is necessary for them to understand how they can meet the demands of the “always connected” visitor.

“Travel websites are notoriously rich in content and knowing how to capitalise on them, and gain a foothold, so that they can reach key overseas markets is crucial for any tourism business. Today’s conference allowed the tourism sector an opportunity to put their questions directly to speakers such as TripAdvisor and HRS - something that is not always possible for Irish businesses”.